The IPAD Air 2 and the IPAD mini 3 come in three different storage sizes — 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB. Picking between them can be the hardest buying decision a new IPAD owner has to make. That’s because App Store apps are getting larger, media files are becoming more accessible than ever, and the functionality of our IPADs keeps getting better. All of this comes at the price of storage space. This is why choosing a storage size that matches your particular use case is so important. The last thing you want to do is get the dreaded out of space error after only a few months of owning your new IPAD Air 2 or IPAD mini 3. Luckily that’s where iMore comes in! From start to finish, we can walk you through what you can expect to get out of each IPAD storage size! Price per gigabyte breakdowns The IPAD has always been sold at different price points based on the amount of storage capacity it contains. Each upgrade bump in storage will cost you an additional $100. If you’re in another country, that may vary slightly but typically remains unchanged for most folks. IPAD Air 2 cost per gigabyte breakdown 16GB – $499 – $31.19 per GB 64GB – $599 – $9.36 per GB 128GB – $699 – $5.46 per GB IPAD mini 3 cost per gigabyte breakdown 16GB – $399 – $24.94 per GB 64GB – $499 – $7.80 per GB 128GB – $599 – $4.68 per GB If you think in terms of how much bang you get for your buck, the very best deal in terms of price per gigabyte is the 128GB models win in both scenarios, with the IPAD mini 3 being the best deal. However, keep in mind that the IPAD mini 3 doesn’t have near the specs and performance enhancements the IPAD Air 2 has so the $100 difference in price will be more than justified for most people. I didn’t take into considering cellular capability simply because the differences would be the same since it’s $130 tacked on to any of the prices you see above. If you want the most bang for your buck, the 128GB model is the best option. However, I’d be willing to wager 64GB will be more than sufficient for most. And since you’re getting four times the storage over the base 16GB model, I can’t think of any reason not to spend the extra $100 if you can. Local vs. Cloud storage iOS 8 brought some serious changes to iCloud this time around. Namely, in the form of iCloud Drive. Gone are the days of only being able to store backups and selective app data in iCloud. Apple has torn down the caged walls and now lets you use iCloud Drive across all your iOS devices and Macs in the same way other popular storage services such as Dropbox and Google Drive have for years. These changes also include brand new pricing for iCloud storage. The following pricing includes storage for your iCloud backups, Photo Stream, and any documents, photos, and videos you choose to store in iCloud Drive. 5GB – Free 20GB – $0.99/month 200GB – $3.99/month 500GB – $9.99/month 1TB – $19.99/month iCloud integrates seamlessly into iOS and OS X Yosemite which means that there are no third party apps to download in order to access your stuff. You can then free up lots of storage space on your IPAD and still know that those photos, videos, and files are accessible via iCloud Photo Library and iCloud Drive from anywhere. So before deciding on a storage capacity, decide whether or not you’re going to take advantage of iCloud Drive. If the answer is yes and most of your current storage capacity is eaten up by photos and videos, iCloud Drive will alleviate that burden and may allow you to choose a smaller capacity IPAD if you need to. Photos and videos The IPAD Air 2 sports an 8 megapixel camera now. More importantly, it supports taking panoramas of up to 43 megapixels and video in full 1080p. The IPAD mini 3 only has a 5 megapixel camera but if you take lots of photos, they can still add up. All you need to understand about the above specs is that they can eat through a ton of local storage, very quickly. If you are the type of person that takes loads of photos and videos, a 16GB IPAD should probably out of the question unless you’re using a cloud service such as iCloud Drive or Dropbox. Apps, games, and media Apps, especially games, can also take up a lot of space on your IPAD. It’s not uncommon for some console-quality games to be well over 1GB in size these days. Basically, as chipsets get better, so do the apps that take advantage of them. Better graphics and higher frame rates come at a price, and again, it’s physical storage space. Then you have to consider other types of media such as movies and music. iTunes movies can be 1 to 3GB in size for SD depending on the length. If you prefer watching HD, they can easily eat up 3 to 6GB in storage. TV shows can be a quarter to half the size of movies, but more than make up for it by the number of episodes typically available. If you get your movies and TV shows from somewhere other than iTunes, you’re still looking at about 400MB an hour for SD and over 1GB (sometimes way over) an hour for HD. Music files are generally quite small but can add up as well, especially if you have lots and lots of albums you want to keep with you everywhere. Even with something like iTunes Match or a similar streaming service, you need local storage for offline playback. Again, it all adds up. Who should get 16GB? If you don’t use a lot of apps, if you don’t want to have a lot of movies and TV shows, or a huge amount of music, if you don’t intend to shoot and keep very many photos on your IPAD — or if you’re opting for a high tier iCloud Drive storage subscription, you’ll probably be okay with 16GB. If you just use your IPAD to read and browse the web and don’t find yourself downloading very many apps, 16GB may be all you need. For most people, however, more storage won’t just be nice-to-have, it’ll be must-have. Who should get 64GB? For most people, 64GB will be the sweet spot. You can store thousands of songs, lots of apps, a decent amount of photos and video, and still feel like you can breathe. If you’re planning on using iCloud Drive in conjunction with your new IPAD, 64GB should be more than enough. If you’re planning on using your new IPAD as your primary means of consuming media content, or as your primary camera and video recorder, the 64GB model will serve you well for a long time to come. Who should get 128GB? Some people don’t like cloud storage or don’t want to have to depend on a data connection in order to access their stuff. Combine that with being a digital packrat and all of a sudden 128GB sounds appealing. It’s probably safe to say that if you’re even considering a 128GB model, you probably need it. You most likely fit into one of the two categories I just described as well, and you want everything with you, all the time. If you want all the things with you, at all times, and money is no object, opt for the 128GB model. Still undecided? If you’re still not sure about 16GB, 64GB, or 128GB, jump into our IPAD discussion forums and the best community in mobile will happily help you out! Also, remember, in most places you’ll have time to try out your new IPAD and return it if you don’t like it. So, make sure, as soon as possible, you put your new IPAD Air 2 or IPAD mini 3 through realistic paces. Load up all the apps and games you want with you, load up your movies and TV shows, go out and take some photos and shoot some video. Give it a complete and thorough workout. If it feels like you got too much storage, say 64GB and you haven’t even gone past 2GB, or if you got too little, say you’re already at 12GB of 16GB, then take your IPAD back and exchange it for one that better suits your needs. If you come to this realization too late, after the exchange period is over, remember you can buy additional storage through iCloud Drive, or look at other options like Dropbox which will let you keep your stuff available online and potentially free up some much needed space on your IPAD. See also: What iCloud Drive storage plan should you get? Once you’ve decided, let me know – which IPAD, and which size, are you going with and why?